Q&A: Texans’ J.J. Watt stakes claim to NFL MVP

J.J. Watt of the Texans invited kids from Sandy Hook Elementary School, who were visiting Houston, down onto the field at Reliant Stadium recently.

By:Mike GarafoloUSA Today, Published on Sun Dec 30 2012

The last defensive player to be named NFL most valuable player was the New York Giants’ Lawrence Taylor in 1986. If J.J. Watt’s Houston Texans teammates had their say, he’d end that streak of offensive MVPs this season.

“Oh yeah, of course I hear it. Being a defensive player, I want a defensive player to win it, and I think I have as good a chance as any,” Watt told USA Today Sports as he prepared for Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Indianapolis Colts. “And if I’m not even in the discussion, I think it’s going to be tough for anybody to ever get into the discussion again. I would love to be a representative for defensive players.”

Watt has 20.5 sacks this season. He needs two to tie Michael Strahan’s record and another half-sack to claim the outright record. He’s also recorded 15 passes defended (plus, as you’ll see below, one he claims the official scorer missed), has forced four fumbles and has been a constant nuisance for teams trying to run the ball. But the Minnesota Vikings’ Adrian Peterson and the Denver Broncos’ Peyton Manning play premier skill positions on offence, which means they’ve dominated the conversation, with Watt mentioned as an also-ran.

“There’s obviously a strong lean toward the offensive players, which is understandable. I mean, quarterbacks and running backs touch the ball a lot more,” Watt said. “But when you look at a dominant year from a defensive player, I think they can affect the game just as much as an offensive player.”

Watt discusses his “dominant year,” how his success is still “crazy” to him, the joy he took in playing with kids from Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday, and the satisfaction he got from making surprise visits around Houston on Christmas Day in this week’s NFL Q&A:

A: No, they were at the stadium. They were some kids from Sandy Hook Elementary. They were down here visiting Houston for the weekend, and they were stopping by our stadium, so I had a chance to take them out on the field and hang out with them, and I gave them my cleats and gloves from the last Colts game because that was the game I wrote “Newtown, Conn.” on my cleats and gloves. We just hung out for about a half hour, 45 minutes. Me and a couple of other guys came out, throwing the football around, kicking it and just being kids.

Q: What’d you tell them?

A: I just kind of wanted to give them as normal a day as possible, just running around, having fun, going out on the field. We were kicking field goals. They were trying to put it through the uprights. Just be kids. And to see them in a normal setting, having fun and big smiles on their faces was awesome.

Q: You’ve done a lot of that this past week. I saw where you made surprise visits to some families, hospitals and cops. What was the genesis of that?

A: My family was here . . . but they had to leave on Sunday night, so I had to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day by myself. So instead of just sitting in my house alone, I decided to go to Children’s Hospital and take them some gifts. My dad’s a firefighter, so I know what it’s like for policemen and firefighters to be on their own on Christmas Day. So I went and visited some fire stations and just told them thank you for what they do. I went and visited the Bellaire Police Department because an officer was shot and killed from their department on Christmas Eve, so I wanted to stop and drop off a pair of cleats for them to auction off for the family. And then went and visited some fans, some random fans. Instead of sitting in my house, I figured I might as well go spread some Christmas cheer. It was awesome. It was a great day.

Q: Two things, the first being nobody would hang out with you on Christmas? What’s up with that?

A: (Laughs) No, I had plenty of offers. But this was something I really enjoyed and I think it was so much fun because it truly showed me that giving is better than receiving.

Q: And secondly, what was the best reaction you got?

A: At Children’s Hospital, the first little boy I went in and saw, it was such a memorable experience. I came in and we just hung out for a little bit. He just started singing songs. It was great to sing songs. He started singing “Hakuna Matata” and we sang “Hakuna Matata” together for about five or 10 minutes. It was such a special experience. Every experience was different and they were all awesome.

Q: You get all the lyrics right? I hope you did.

A: I did, and he did, too. It was crazy because he was only 4 years old and he was belting it out. He was so cool.

Q: You guys are battling for the No. 1 seed, you’re going for the sack record and you’re finding stuff like this to do. I guess it’s kind of hard to believe, but is that something you always imagined you’d do if you got into this position?

A: Oh, absolutely. My mom taught me from a young age to give back and volunteer any chance you get. It was something that I knew, if I made the NFL, I would financially have the ability to do. I’m only a 23-year-old kid, and if I wasn’t doing this stuff, I’d just be sitting in my house watching TV. So being able to do stuff like this is so much more important for me and so much more impactful than just sitting at my house playing video games or watching TV. I love every chance I get. A lot of people try to give us the credit and say you’re putting smiles on these kids’ faces. I don’t think people understand how big of a smile it gives us and how great it makes us feel when these kids smile back at us.

Q: OK, now to the questions that might be tougher to answer: Are you thinking about the record or what?

A: I’m thinking about the win first and the record second. It’s obviously on my mind, but I want a win. If I get the sack record along with the win, it would be a great day.

Q: So are you hoping for a big lead early on so you can just aim for the record?

A: (Laughs) Obviously, any game I play I want a big lead early on. But yeah, I’m looking forward to the opportunity.

Q: Last time you played the Colts, you had three sacks. Does that give you confidence you can do that again?

A: It definitely gives me confidence, but I also understand they’re probably going to throw in some new wrinkles, some double teams and things like that. But I look at that as a challenge. I embrace that challenge, and it’ll make it that much more fun when I do get a sack.

Q: It looked like you had a lot of 1-on-1s last time you played them. Were you surprised by that?

A: I enjoy 1-on-1s. I look at that as an opportunity. If I get a one-on-one, I have to win. Double teams and chips, I’m seeing a lot of that this year, so when I do get fortunate enough to get a one-on-one, I have to win.

Q: You have the salute after every sack. After the potential record breaker, will it be the same deal? Or do you have something special planned?

A: I haven’t really thought about it in-depth yet, but the salute will definitely be a part of it.

Q: No J.J. Swatts the last three games. No batted passes.

A: I actually had one in this past game, but I didn’t get the credit for it. I watched it on film and it’s extremely hard to see, so nobody believes me when I tell them. But obviously, I’m working on sacks and like I’ve always said, those are somewhat luck, too. I’m always going for them, but the quarterback has to be throwing to your side.

Q: Are teams doing anything to take that part of your game away?

A: Teams are always hitting me in the gut, trying to grab me when I jump and stuff like that. But I expect it. As the season has gone on, it’s definitely picked up. But there are so many different things you have to defend — the pass rush, the swats, everything — that it helps me and is an advantage to me that you’re thinking about so much.

Q: Does Antonio Smith owe you a half-sack? You saluted after his sack against the Colts. Looked like you thought you had a piece of it.

A: I thought I had a piece of it. But no, I let him have that one. That’s fine by me. I’m not going to quibble over it. He does a lot for me. He takes some double teams away from me, so he deserves it. And he definitely hit him first.

Q: You move all over the place on the line. If I told you that you could only rush from one spot for the rest of your career, where would it be?

A: Oh man, that’s a tough question. I don’t know. I truly don’t know the answer to that. I couldn’t tell you because that’s one of the key aspects of my game is moving all around and that’s why I have so much fun.

Q: I can’t let you off the hook here.

A: I guess I’d say probably left 3 technique (defensive tackle).

Q: See, I’d think a sack guy would want to be more outside, but you don’t mind mixing it up in there?

A: No, it’s so much more fun when you get a sack inside and you have to fight through all the garbage. It’s so much more satisfying.

Q: I saw an agent reach out to you on Twitter this week saying you asked him four years ago if he thought you would get drafted.

A: (Laughs) You know, I’m a kid who grew up working hard. You always dream about this kind of stuff, you always hope for it and you’re always working toward it, but there’s always a part of you that thinks it’s crazy and it’s unbelievable that you’re in this situation. Even today, with everything that’s happening and all that’s going on with me, it’s still hard to believe it. Of course, I question stuff like that. Just to be on the Pro Bowl (team) was crazy to me. It’s all crazy and cool. At the end of the day, I’m just a 23-year-old kid living my dream and living other people’s dreams, too.

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